Many of the problem sets focus on specific topics, such as virus population dynamics, word games, optimizing routes, or simulating the movement of a Roomba. (Roomba photograph courtesy of Stephanie Booth on Flickr; virus image courtesy of the CDC; Boggle photograph courtesy of Angelina on Flickr; MIT campus map image courtesy of RahulG on Flickr.)

OCW Scholar courses are designed specifically for OCW's single largest audience: independent learners. These courses are substantially more complete than typical OCW courses, and include new custom-created content as well as materials repurposed from previously published courses. Click here for a complete list of OCW Scholar courses.

Course Features

Course Description

This subject is aimed at students with little or no programming experience. It aims to provide students with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems. It also aims to help students, regardless of their major, to feel justifiably confident of their ability to write small programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals. The class will use the Python programming language.

Course Format

This course has been designed for independent study. It provides everything you will need to understand the concepts covered in the course. The materials include:

A complete set of Lecture Videos by Prof. Guttag.

Resources for each lecture video, such as Handouts, Slides, and Code Files.